Steelville Forward, a community group comprised of local business owners, politicians and arts council members, met at the Spare Rib Inn on July 27 for their monthly meeting. The group discussed ongoing initiatives to revitalize Steelville and how the organization could secure grants for improvements to Main Street, sidewalks, and other public infrastructure.

Steelville Forward discussed promoting and attending the Steelville Community Walk & Bike Audit. The walk will take place Aug. 6 at 5 p.m., starting at the Perkins Pavilion at 101 E. Highway 8, and will last approximately three hours. The purpose of the event is to explore streets and trails while raising awareness about active transportation and public infrastructure.

Steelville Forward member Tamra Cape said that the community walk is an opportunity for community members to audit their city and discuss what improvements can be made. Steelville Forward plans to use the walk as an opportunity to connect with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), which is sponsoring the event, and discuss grant opportunities.

“Steelville Forward will walk with (MRPC) and audit the city, say what we need, and see what grants can possibly be available for what we need in our city,” Cape said. “They stay on top of grants for us.”

MRPC has helped write grants for infrastructure projects in Steelville in the past. In 2021, the planning commission helped Steelville obtain a state grant to renovate the community center.

Orin Pogue, a senior community development specialist with MRPC, said that community audits help citizens and local leadership assess the infrastructure needs of the community.

“What we’re going to do is assess the route and assess it for things like safety, and comfort, and how easy it would be for folks who are differently abled or wheelchair-bound,” he said.

Pogue said community audits are useful in helping citizens communicate local needs with their city council. Likewise, Pogue said audits help city councils when it comes to the grant application process.

“When you have these audits identifying problems, it shows that it’s been identified as a priority for the community,” Pogue said. “We talked to the community about it, did a community survey, and (audits) provide a little bit of extra teeth and emphasis that this project is, in fact, important for the community.”

Steelville Forward members have already identified pieces of infrastructure that they would like to see improved. Cape said that Steelville Forward would like to obtain a grant for improved sidewalks on Main Street.

“Up by Heartland Arts, Dairy Isle, that end of the street really needs new sidewalks,” Cape said. “That is something we really want to get them on top of.”

Steelville Forward members also talked about the possibility of turning to Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) for help with securing grant funding. MMSC is a statewide nonprofit organization that supports community revitalization in rural and urban historic commercial districts, like downtown Steelville.

Through its Community Empowerment Service Grant, MMSC provides training for community members in fundraising, action planning and strategy development. Steelville Forward Member Diane Engelsdorfer said MMSC “is revitalizing small downtowns. They help with grants for the town. They come to your town, they help you organize meetings, they invite the townsfolk, and they really want the chamber and council to be actively a part of it as well.”

Steelville Forward also discussed ongoing plans to revitalize the area of Hoppe Spring Park, the South Spring Street bridge, and the canoe sculpture.

Steelville Arts Council Member Miles Yeary suggested that the city should connect Hoppe Spring Park and the newer Steelville Community Park via a walking trail that crosses the South Spring Street Bridge. Steelville Forward members also discussed the benefits of covering the bridge, suggesting that it might be a draw for tourists and a location for graduation and wedding photography.

Yeary said that Steelville Forward plans to meet with the Steelville Parks and Recreation Department about covering the bridge. The parks department could then make a recommendation to the city council, at which point the city council could vote on the idea.

Yeary also said that he is in preliminary talks with Colin Cottrell, who owns the land where the canoe sculpture is located, about the idea of developing the area into a park. While Yeary stressed that no one has committed to anything yet, he said that the canoe sculpture area could be developed into a park with picnic tables that connects the canoe sculpture, The Dairy Isle, and Hoppe Spring Park.

“I can see a placard in the canoe sculpture park talking about the history of the canoe as it relates to our culture, Native Americans, fur trappers, hunters, loggers, and what an important role it plays in our local economy today,” Yeary said.

Yeary said that plans for a “Happy the Troll” sculpture at Hoppe Spring Park were met with mixed reception from the Steelville City Council.

“The troll, that’s the longest-term part of all this,” Yearly said. “I’m just sowing seeds in the community. I’m grateful for the response, whether positive or negative.”

When it comes to partnering with organizations like MRPC and MMSC for assistance sourcing grants and organizing the community, “we need all the help we can get,” said Arts Council Member Jim Trippensee, “and we don’t want to reinvent the wheel.”